The present invention relates to a method for characterizing phenotypic traits of soybean varieties important for seed lot purity. More specifically, the invention relates to the use of molecular markers to select for the seed lot purity traits of flower color, pubescence color, hilum color, and pod wall color in soybean varieties.
Seed lot purity in commercial soybean seed lots is of particular importance to both seed consumers and seed producers. Seed consumers want to purchase a product with seeds of similar or identical characteristics related to species, variety, genetics, and germination rates. Seed producers want confidence in their soybean breeding programs to select for desired seed lot purity traits. Unfortunately, uncontrollable environmental factors may result in significant phenotypic variation for these seed lot purity traits resulting in breeding error selections. Therefore, a method to reliably select for seed lot purity traits during soybean seed production is critical for the evaluation of plants for promotion in soybean breeding programs to produce consistent seed lot for commercialization. The method to use molecular markers for the seed lot purity traits of flower color, pubescence color, hilum color, and pod wall color provides more consistent and reliable data to evaluate certain traits important for seed lot purity.